Boot for one or more seat belts



A ril 1, 1969 w; c. LOVE 3,436,097

BOOT FOR ONE OR MORE SEAT BELTS Filed June 22, 1967 Sheet of 2 INVENTOR. WILLIAM C. LOVE ,Za FM ATTORNEY April 1, 1969 w. c. LOVE 3,

BOOT FOR ONE OR MORE SEAT BELTS Filed June 22, 1967 "Dun I INVENTOR. WILLIAM 0. LOVE A T TORNE Y United States Patent O US. Cl. 280-150 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A boot to cover one or more anchor plates to which seat belts are fastened, is closed at the toe. There is a large opening in the sole of the boot so that after the boot is slidably mounted around one or more seat belts and the anchor plate or plates have been engaged with a bolt in the floor of an automobile or other vehicle, the boot can be slid down the belts to cover the bolt head and the anchor plate or plates. There is a lug inside of the toe of the boot which protrudes between the top anchor plate and the head of the bolt, or between two anchor plates and holds the boot in place.

The invention relates to a seat-belt boot to cover both (1) an anchor bolt in the floor of a vehicle and (2) the anchor plate or plates individually attached to one or more seat belts anchored over the bolt. The novel feature of the boot is a lug which protrudes inwardly from the toe of the boot and is engaged either between the head of the bolt and the anchor plate of the adjacent seat belt (there being one or more seat belts) or between two of the anchor plates if there are more than one. The invention includes the boot and a vehicle with the boot in place.

The purpose of a boot is to protect the webbing of the seat belt and to shield the bolt and the anchor plate or anchor plates from view. Experience has shown that a boot which is not provided with a lug protruding in from the toe, is relatively easily dislodged. There is nothing to maintain the boot in position except, perhaps, the relatively narrow lip which extends inward from the toe of the boot, under the one or more anchor plates. Generally, there is nothing to displace the boot while it is in use, but as the position of the seat belt or belts is changed when not in use, the boot is apt to become dislodged.

The lug which protrudes in from the toe of the boot of this invention, is intended to prevent dislodgment of the boot. Regardless of whether there be one or more belts, if the lug is engaged between the head and the adjacent anchor plate, it holds the boot in position. If there be more than one seat belt the lug may just as well protrude between any two of the anchor plates.

The invention is further described in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which FIGURE 1 is a top view of the boot;

FIGURE 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of FIG- URE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a bottom view of the boot;

FIGURE 4 is a plan view of a seat belt with an anchor plate fastened to the end and the boot on the belt spaced from the anchor plate;

FIGURE 5 is a section through an anchor bolt in the floor of a vehicle showing the lug in the boot between the head of the bolt and the top anchor plate; and

FIGURE 6 is a section through a bolt in the floor of a vehicle with the lug of the boot between two anchor plates.

The boot 1 may be of any length. It is in one piece "ice and composed of a resilient plastic and is usually made from a vinyl plastisol. The front part of the sole of the boot is open at 4, back to the lip 5 which limits the distance the boot can slide forward. The opening 4 may be any convenient shape and is large enough for the one or more plates to be passed through it, and the boot may be of any desired length from the toe backward. Usually the top and bottom of the boot taper backwardly to make a snug fit around the belts. The lug 6 is formed in the toe of the boot and may be shaped as shown in FIGURE 3, or it may be of any other shape which will accomplish the intended purpose which is to be described.

In use a boot is slidably engaged with one or more seat belts before the belts are anchored to an anchor bolt in the floor of an automobile or the like. The belts are each provided with any type of anchor plate.

FIGURES 5 and 6 show the anchor bolt 10 screwed into a nut 11 welded to a plate 12 which, in turn, is fastened to the floor board 13 of an automobile, The floor board may be carpeted as indicated at 14.

With the boot slidably engaged with the one or more seat belts, such as the seat belts 20 and 21, the anchor plate or plates 22 and 23 are engaged by the bolt 10 and then this is screwed into the nut 11. Alternatively, the bolts in the anchor plates may be large enough to be hooked over the head of the bolt. The boot which until this time has been spaced from the bolt, as shown in FIGURE 4, is slid down over the head of the bolt and the anchor plates to hide these from view. If a single seat belt is used, the lug will be located between the anchor plate of this belt and the head of the bolt. If there are two or more belts, the lug may be similarly anchored between the head of the bolt and the top anchor plate. Alternatively, the lug may be located between two anchor plates as illustrated in FIGURE 6. These anchor plates may be separated by a washer 25, although a washer is not necessary.

By locating the protruding lug under the head of the bolt or between two anchor plates, the boot maintains its position and performs its intended function ofhiding the bolt head and the anchor plates. It can readily be disengaged by sliding it forward and then backward along the belts, if there is any necessity for gaining access to the bolt or anchor plates.

The invention is covered in the claims which follow.

I claim:

1. A one-piece plastic boot to cover both (a) an anchor plate attached to a seat belt and (b) the bolt to which said plate is anchored, said boot being closed at the toe and provided at the rear with an opening to accommodate said seat belt, an opening in the sole of the boot adjacent the toe which is as wide as said plate, and the boot being provided with 2. lug within the boot which protrudes inwardly from the toe to be engaged between the head of said bolt and said anchor plate.

2. A one-piece plastic boot to cover both (a) the anchor plates attached to a plurality of seat belts and (b) the bolt to which said plates are anchored, said boot being closed at the toe and provided at the rear with an opening to accommodate the seat belts, an opening in the sole of the boot adjacent the toe which is as wide as said plates, and the boot being provided with a lug within the boot which projects inwardly from the toe to be engaged between two of said anchor plates.

3. A vehicle with an anchor bolt in the floor, a seat belt with an anchor plate anchored over the bolt, and a one-piece plastic boot with an opening at the rear through which the belt passes, the toe of said boot covering the bolt and the anchor plate, an opening in the bottom of the boot near the toe which is as wide as 3 the plate, and a lug within the boot which protrudes from the inside of the toe into a space between the head of the bolt and the anchor plate.

4. A vehicle with an anchor bolt in the floor, anchor plates individually attached to a plurality of seat belts anchored over the bolt, a one-piece plastic boot open at the rear through which said belts pass, the toe of said boot covering the bolt and said anchor plates, with the bottom of the said boot being provided with an opening near the toe which is as wide as the plates, and a lug inside of the boot which protrudes from the toe into a space between two of said plates.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,171,688 3/1965 Nicholas 297-388 3,305,266 2/1967 Nicholas et a1 280-l50 3,311,409 3/1967 Fisher 297385 KENNETH H. BETTS, Primary Examiner.

JOEL E. SIEGEL, Assistant Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 297385 

